The Art of the Design Critique: How to Give Feedback That Actually Helps

A bad design critique sounds like this: “I don’t love the colors,” “Can we make the logo bigger?”, “It just doesn’t feel right to me.” These comments aren’t useless because they’re negative — they’re useless because they’re untethered from any goal. Good critique connects every observation back to the user and the problem the design is trying to solve. “The contrast ratio here won’t pass WCAG AA” is useful. “This nav pattern conflicts with how our users said they expect to move between sections” is useful. “I’m not a fan of sans-serif fonts” is not.

The best critique sessions I’ve run start with the designer presenting context, not just visuals — what problem are we solving, who are we solving it for, and what constraints shaped these decisions? When reviewers understand the why, their feedback becomes far more targeted. I also always ask designers to share what they’re most uncertain about before we begin. That simple question shifts the room from “let’s find everything wrong” to “let’s help you solve the thing that’s keeping you up at night.” It’s a small change in framing that makes an enormous difference in how safe people feel bringing unfinished work to the table.